 | |
| Continent | Pacific Ocean |
|---|---|
| Region | Oceania |
| Coordinates | 20°S 175°W / 20°S 175°W |
| Area | Ranked 174th |
| • Total | 747 km2 (288 sq mi) |
| • Land | 95.98% |
| • Water | 4.02% |
| Coastline | 419 km (260 mi) |
| Borders | None |
| Highest point | on Kao 1,033 metres (3,389 ft) |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Exclusive economic zone | 659,558 km2 (254,657 sq mi) |
Located in Oceania, Tonga is a small archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, directly south of Samoa and about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. It has 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, which are in three main groups – Vavaʻu, Haʻapai, and Tongatapu – and cover an 800-kilometre (500-mile)-long north–south line. The total size is just 747 km2 (288 sq mi). Due to the spread out islands it has the 40th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 659,558 km2 (254,657 sq mi).
The largest island, Tongatapu, on which the capital city of Nukuʻalofa is located, covers 257 square kilometres (99 sq mi). Geologically the Tongan islands are of two types: most have a limestone base formed from uplifted coral formations; others consist of limestone overlaying a volcanic base.